Cultural Materialism in Stardust

Note: The above clip has been altered for comedic purposes by the original poster. However, this scene (in its original form) is the scene that closes the movie and illustrates my main argument.

The storyline of the 2007 film Stardust can be connected to the British Marxist notion of Cultural Materialism. The film is set in the small English village of Wall and the fantasy world of Stormhold. Class issues play an important role in the movie. For example, the main character, Tristan Thorne, represents the lower classes as a common shop boy. Tristan develops romantic feelings for Victoria, who is representative of a higher social class, the bougeousie.

Likewise, in Stormhold, royalty and nobility are represented by the King, who has passed away, leaving his sons to murder each other in an attempt to be the last one standing and to assume the throne. This representation of royalty posits the ruling class as morally corrupt and villainous, traits that are usually ascribed to the lower class. Tristan, however, is noble and brave, eventually taking the throne of Stormhold when the princes have all been murdered, leaving only Una, the sole princess of Stormhold, remaining. Tristan is the only "male heir" to the throne, which bypasses Una and makes Tristan the new King. While this is an obviously sexist decree, there are also class issues and criticisms to be examined in it. As a member of the lower class, Tristan's taking of the throne reveals the social class structures as "contingent." Tristan, unlike the Princes, was not reared to become the king of Stormhold; however, through a series of fantastic circumstances he becomes King, which is as much of a surprise to him as it is to everyone else. While Tristan is the "hero," his character creates "dissonance" through his incredible leap from the lowest social class to the highest. This dissonance is kept in check, however, due to the fact that his ascension has taken place in a "fantasy" realm. Social order is still affirmed in the "real" world because this type of social mobility is as improbable as the witches and flying pirates that are present in Stormhold. In Stardust, we see that only in a "fantasy world" can "shop boys" become kings.